A conventional Infrared Data Association (IrDA) based optical communication transceiver in a module typically provides 115.2 Kbps to 16 Mbs transfer of data transfer over distances less than one meter. IrDA transceivers have 30% penetration in Asian and European cell phone markets and 100% of the PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) market. In year 2006, the total market for IrDA transceivers exceeded 250 million units. IrDA transceivers are conventionally mounted in products behind an infrared transparent window.
Presently, most IrDA transceivers are installed on battery operated handheld devices, primarily cellular telephones and, secondarily, PDAs. These devices typically use high resolution displays. The most common types are backlit liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and active illumination displays. However, these displays typically suffer from poor readability in daylight conditions due to insufficient levels of backlight or active illumination. More expensive reflective displays are better suited for daylight viewing and don't require backlit illumination except for night viewing. With continuing improvements in both white light emitting diode (LED) and active display efficiency and illumination, providing sufficient lighting power for outside daylight viewing can be achieved with little increase in display illumination cost. However, this significantly increases power consumption and typically makes the display excessively bright for night or standard indoor lighting levels.